Night Swimming
by I.Dream.Of.Rain
Summary: They all saw it, whether they wanted to acknowledge it or not...they knew Renji and Rukia had strong feelings for one another, thus, they devised a plan to make them realize those feelings themselves....Nightswimming after all, 'deserves a quiet night'.
1. Planned Surprises

I'm surprised how fast I'm spitting this shit out. I was inspired by yet another song called Night Swimming by the band R.E.M. I expect this to be a simple two-shot but if I can continue it I will. So, I kind of had to make up names for the three boys Renji and Rukia grew up with since they never tell you in the anime. I think I got the idea of naming one of them Yuki from someone else's story. I just can't remember…whoever you are thanks and I hope you don't mind that I kind of stole the idea. Anyways, enjoy=)

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It was summer and the heat became utterly unbearable. It wasn't like in the winter, where they could bundle in all their torn, yet sufficient blankets, reaching and sinking into the surrounding body heat of their comrades. No, when the sun rose in its high sky, it stood there on its pedestal, glaring its heated gaze towards the helpless below. No, there was literally no way to escape the heat, sure, you could peel off the layers of your clothing like peeling the skin off of a sweaty orange, feeling the damp cloth leave your body presented some satisfaction…that is, because you'd be buck naked. But this feeling of satisfaction didn't last for long, the sun continued to blare, the heat rose in invisible, thick clouds and proceeded to smother your lungs and skin.

Sure, you could fan yourself, but that would only make every sweat gland in your body sob until you were slick with sweat, and not a cold sweat, no a scolding kinda sweat. No, the only way to escape the heat for a substantial amount of time is to go swimming, of course. However, in the day time, even the coldest rivers and lakes would turn luke warm, and bathing in luke warm water didn't cool your body off when it was being attacked by temperatures in the high 90s. Renji dredged himself through the days, sulking in the shade, basking in the sudden and all-too-abrupt breeze, moving as little as humanly possible, waiting for night; sweet night to overcast his sufferings. But on a blazing hot day, like this one…the time itself seemed to melt away…dragging on the day longer and longer, practically stretching the sun's potential in the sky. Renji was not about it. Out of all his friends, Renji was most affected by the heat, and he never let them forget it.

"Fucking hell !" Renji yelped, tugging desperately at his sweat soaked collar, "Ya know what? I kinda realized why this place is called hangin' dog. It's not about all the death and torture in this goddamn place…it's like the damn dog was so fuckin' sick of this motherfuckin' heat it decided to do itself a favor, and end its own life. Before the fuckin' sun did it for him!" he concluded, before laughing angrily at his own joke, considering no one else did.

"Okay, Renji…we get it. You're hot, we're hot. Everyones mad…just shut up already!" Rukia yelled, becoming increasingly sick of Renji's constant complaints. She incessantly fanned herself, shaking her head every now in then to alleviate the sweat from her face, the top of her head, and neck.

"Just try to relax for once, don't let the heat go to your head. Plus just think about how awesome tonight's gonna feel after a horrible day like this." Rukia said, trying to ease her red headed friend's temper. She knew Renji had an immense influence over every ones mood in the small group, mostly because when he was pissed he didn't stop complaining leading to fights upon fights about the most trivial of things. But, she smiled, when Renji was happy he had a way of making everyone feel as good as he did.

"Yeah, I guess. Just, I hate waiting. It's a pain in my ass!" Renji griped, throwing his hands in the air with a sigh.

Tonight, like the previous nights before, their close-knit little group would go swimming in the large stream that nobody seemed to know about. They boasted amongst themselves, for it was their secret hiding place. It was through a brief patch of woods on the outer markings of Rukongai, the slightly narrow, yet surprisingly deep stream was flowing with cool, crystal clear water…ultimately untouched by man. So, each night, the gang basked in the cool water and atmosphere of their hidden paradise…ridding their bodies of sweat and built up tension. Of course, they wore bathing suits to cover their naked bodies, so they could all bathe together.

Of course, they realized this way, they wouldn't have to worry about Rukia's safety, like they did when they first began bathing at night, when she refused to be anywhere around their naked bodies. The first week, they couldn't relax. The three boys just stared anxiously down towards the end of the stream, where large rocks jutting out from a small waterfall covered Rukia from their view. They listened intently to every sound, making sure they could hear her splashing around in the water, and when she got quiet they called out her name in a panic, to which she scolded them for undermining her strength and independence. But, her nagging never stopped them from worrying….they all knew what could happen if some creep accidentally stumbled upon a naked beauty wading seductively in the water, completely open to any attacks.

Renji, of course, was the worst of them all when it came to fretting over Rukia's well-being, and he made it blatantly obvious. He stood and bathed the closest to the small water fall, resting his back against the hard rocks guarding the edge, that way he could scope out the woods around them in high alert. He wouldn't allow himself to relax; he would talk to her, from the other side of the fall just to make sure she was still there, her peaceful voice reminding him that she was still okay. And after realizing the set-up wasn't working, they all decided as a group to return the next night in the swimsuits they had stolen from a vendor who was selling items from the living world. After that, the small gang couldn't wait for nighttime to come, just so they could rush down to their little piece of heaven, where they talked, played and all around relaxed together.

"Okay, let's get to work, I'm starving…" the tall and skinny Yuki proposed, pushing the stubborn clumps of brown hair from his face.

"Okay, you guys know the drill. Rukia and Renji fish. And we," he said motioning to his companions, Kouta the chubby boy with short black hair, and Ikichi, the small and timid boy with wavy dark brown locks. "Are gonna start and manage the fire, like always…"

"Yeah, like always." The two boys complained in unison, before dragging themselves over to the soot covered barrel they used as a fire pit.

"Okay, Rukia. Let's do this already." Renji sighed, not happy about the fact that this process required movement; he was already sweating buckets even though all he was doing was sitting around and breathing. Rukia nodded her head, following Renji to the riverbank, as the boys watched intently from their places around the barrel.

"I have a plan, so listen carefully." Yuki instructed, leaning in towards his two companions, bringing them into a huddle. "Tonight…we're not gonna go to the stream." He stated bluntly.

"What!" Kouta exclaimed, "Why the hell not?"

"Yeah, I really wanna go!" Ikichi pouted, crossing his arms over his small chest.

"Guys…think about it, just look at those two." Yuki said softly, breaking their huddle, as all their eyes shifted towards their fishing companions. Their ears picked up the faint sound of Rukia and Renji's laughter in the distance, as they proceeded to playfully push and splash water at one another. They all took in the way Renji looked at her when he caught her fist softly in his hand, deflecting her well-aimed punch.

"What's your point?" Ikichi said, not fully understanding the situation or Yuki's intentions.

"My point IS…they're hopelessly in love. And they're too stubborn to admit it, or notice it even."

"What makes you think they're in love? They're just friends." Kouta interjected, "We're all friends."

Yuki sighed and poked at the steadily rising flames, and shot an understanding look at his chubby friend. "Yes, we're all friends. We will always be friends, even if renji and rukia become more than friends. We'll always be friends and family to one another. Nothings gonna change." He concluded, glancing over at Renji and Rukia.

"Well, I don't think their in love." Ikichi said stubbornly, kicking aimlessly at the dirt beneath his tiny feet.

"You can't be serious? You'd have to be blind not to see what's between them. Or…" Yuki questioned, in a teasing manner. "Are you jealous, Ikichi?"

Ikichi sputtered, his face turning red as he clenched his fists at his side and glared angrily at Yuki.

"I am NOT jealous." He said, but with less conviction than intended.

"I mean, I guess I am a little." Yuki confessed, causing his companions' heads to snap up, as they questioned him with their eyes. "I mean, we should all be. Admit it, at one point or another both of you have crushed on Rukia. I know I have and it's hard not to. She's amazing." he said, staring at her lithe form in the distance. But, he abruptly broke his stare, "But they were just miniscule crushes…nothing like what Renji feels for her. I mean think about it…" Yuki suggested.

"Do you see the way he looks at her? It's written all over his face. And Rukia's just as dense when it comes to this kinda stuff she probably hasn't noticed his feelings or her own for that matter." Yuki concluded with a light chuckle.

"I want them to be happy, we all do. But aren't you scared about what's gonna happen to us. To our family?" Kouta questioned, directing his solemn gaze at the crusty dirt below.

"Well yeah, I'm scared but I don't think anything drastic will happen, nothing could tear our family apart." Yuki confirmed, truly believing his words himself. "I mean, back when we were little do you remember what they promised us?" Yuki asked, smiling contently as his companions glanced knowingly at one another. "They promised that they would never leave us. They're giving up a better life in a better place for us. We should be more than grateful. And I know for sure that they meant it. So the least we can do for them is to set this fear aside and help them realize their true feelings." he concluded, his smile widening when his two companions nodded their acceptance at his proposition.

"Okay, so what's your plan then, know-it-all?" Kouta teased, lightening the mood.

"Oh yeah, so tonight we'll all say we're tired of swimming. And you know Renji's gonna get pissed, but just stick with it….you know he's always suffering mental heat exhaustion." Yuki paused, chuckling. "So…it's safe to say he'll still want to go there. But if he doesn't we'll just question his bravery and say shit like 'oh, is poor Renji afraid to go all alone with only Rukia to defend him?' He'll eat that up for sure. As for Rukia, she loves going. She'll probably feel bad that she wants to go even though it'd be without us but just encourage her or something. Anyways I'm sure she won't let Renji go alone." Yuki finished, noticing his companions baffled looks directed straight at him.

"Damn, you thought this out, didn't you?" Ikichi stated with an impressed look on his face.

"Renji, my fish is definitely bigger, are you blind, baka?" Rukia teased loudly, making the three friends snap out of their deep thoughts, and watch the bickering couple as they approached with their handfuls of fish.

"You're blind, dumbass. Mine is clearly bigger. I think you're going senile, midget!" Renji exclaimed, laughing loudly before yelping as Rukia smacked his stomach, hard.

The bickering couple took their seats around the makeshift campfire, as each friend chose a fish and skewered them on the sharpened sticks they had been making since they were children and worked in utter silence, making Renji and Rukia raise their eyebrows, glancing at each of their comrades faces. "SO…" Renji began loudly, startling all three of them, making them all jump slightly.

"What's going on?" Renji asked, curiosity dripping from the tone of his voice.

"Nothing." The three silent boys chimed in unison.

Renji shot Rukia a questioning glance, only to be met with her own, baffled look, as she shrugged back at him.

"Well…" Yuki spoke up in a sigh, twirling his stick impaled fish in the fire, "We were just talking about how tired we are…" He lied, gazing up at the sky, just noticing now that the sun was setting, a clear sign that nighttime was just around the corner. "So, I guess we're not going swimming tonight." He stated, trying to make it sound like a sudden observation.

"What the hell, I wanna go!" Renji barked, his eyes darting from one friend to the next.

"Then you can still go, just we are not coming." Yuki said, pointing at the friends beside him, to make it blatantly clear that they were the 'we' in that statement.

"Fine, be that way…" Renji said, shifting his gaze to Rukia, "You still wanna go right, Rukia?" he asked, not noticing all the smirks he was receiving from his male comrades, they all held their breaths, waiting for a reply from the petite raven-haired girl, who seemed to be taking forever to answer.

"Uh, yeah. I guess I still wanna go." Rukia concluded, entranced by the blazing fire ahead of her. Neither her nor Renji noticing the thumbs up Yuki shared between the two boys, who both had equally wide smiles on their faces.

"Cool, then. I guess it's just me and you then…don't get any perverted ideas," Renji teased, as his large hand ruffled her silky hair. The three companions snickered and smirked at the playful couple.

"UGH!" Rukia yelled, slapping his hand away, "Don't get cocky, Renji…you act like you're the shit."

"I AM the shit, Rukia…admit it, you _love_me," Renji teased in his low, sultry voice, as he once again ruffled her hair gently.

"Yeah, and you love her. Get it over with already," Yuki hastily mumbled under his breath, so only Kouta and Ikichi heard it, causing them to chuckle.

"What?" Rukia questioned, looking all innocent and curious.

"What? I didn't say anything." Yuki lied, hiding his smirk as he bit into his fire-roasted fish. He watched Rukia shrug at Renji's curious gaze, and then watched as they began to converse amongst themselves, laughing and smiling every now and then. By now, he noticed the night had fallen and there was about a good two hours before they would go swimming together, this was easier than he thought it would be. As he glanced from Kouta to Ikichi, he couldn't help but mimic the wicked smiles that played on their faces. Glancing one last time at the flirty couple, Yuki couldn't help but think that this night would definitely bring some much needed realizations afoot…he just wondered how this plan would turn out.

* * *

Ah, I wonder what's going to happen….guess you'll have to find out in the next chapter, which I promise will be up within a couple of days….thanks for reading…=)


	2. The Moon Is Low Tonight

"Why the hell are they acting so strangely, something's up…." Renji contemplated, picking up his towel, following behind Rukia through the dusty streets of Rukongai.

"I know, Yuki especially. He keeps looking at us weird, I think they know something we don't." Rukia announced, pulling the towel closer to her chest as she gazed at the moon, which sat comfortably on its blanket of darkness.

"Well, when we get back we'll just beat it outta them." Renji suggested, thrusting his clenched fist into the air. His mind couldn't help but wander back to earlier in the day…

_Everyone had just finished their meals, placing the frail spines of the fish into another small barrel that they decided would be used for trash, after it was stolen earlier that day and the contents were used up immediately. Renji glanced into the small bone-filled barrel, the whites of the bones catching light from the moon, contrasting the darkness that surrounded them in their final resting place. Renji always insisted upon burying the fish, it was the least they could do, to honor them for their nourishment and their sacrifice, so all he could do was stare down the jagged spines solemnly, as he thought of places to bury the remains. _

_In the background he faintly heard Kouta complaining about having no tea bags left, and then heard Yuki suggest he, Rukia and Ikichi go together, considering it was dark now they needed at least three people to pull off a quick heist. Renji was snapped out of his thoughts when Yuki said "you guys go, and be careful…me and Renji will manage the fire while you're gone." Renji nodded at the three, silently agreeing to Yuki's proposition, and as he watched them go it felt like his heart fell abruptly into his stomach, creating a twinge of worry and regret, 'I should've gone with Rukia.' he stated, almost punching himself for thinking such thoughts…he knew Rukia could take care of herself, 'so why the hell should I worry about her?'_

"_Hey, __Renji!"__Yuki __exclaimed, __trying __to __get __his __red-headed __companion's __attention, __making __the __boy __jump __in __surprise, __then __his __expression __turned __angry.__"What?"__Renji __yelled, __clearly __upset._

_The two boys sat in silence, it seemed as though Renji's loud outburst echoed in the air between them, making Renji extremely uncomfortable. The silence continued for minutes, but as Renji stared blankly at the smoldering fire, it began to feel like hours were passing, yet, he didn't want to break the silence for some reason. Probably because Renji felt as though Yuki was about to tell him something he didn't want to hear, he could tell by just observing Yuki's body language. He was poking aimlessly at the cracking fire in front of him, sighing every now and then, refusing to make any eye contact with the red head._

"_Just,__don't __do __anything __stupid__…__or __you'll __ruin __everything," __Yuki __sighed, __finally __breaking __the __silence, __but __that __comment __left __Renji __extremely __baffled, __the __confusion __playing __on __his __face __when __one __of __his __eyebrows __raised __and __his __mouth __dropped __open __slightly. __Renji __stared __down __the __boy __across __from __him, __obviously __waiting __for __a __follow-up __response __to __that __confusing __statement__…__which __never __came. __Renji __thought __deeply __and __intently __about __what __his __friend __said __just __now,__' but __what __does __he __mean, __I __don't __even __know __what __he's __referring __to.' __Renji __contemplated, __running __everything __that __happened __today __through __his __mind, __but __he __got __nowhere. __Just __as __Renji __opened __his __mouth __to __speak, __he __heard __the __rapidly __approaching __footsteps __of __his __three __returning __friends, __his __eyes __leaving __Yuki's __strangely __downcast __face. __He __knew __that __Yuki __was __dead __serious __about __his __comment, __making __Renji __even __more __baffled._

Renji continued to ponder, his mind lost in deep thought, so much so that he walked smack into Rukia, who had stopped walking since they arrived at their destination.

"Umph!" Rukia exclaimed, as she felt Renji's large figure slam into her own, knocking her forwards, as she stumbled to catch her balance, "What the hell, Renji? Watch where you're going!" Rukia yelled, turning her flustered face to glare at him, as her fists clenched at her sides.

The collision jolted Renji from his thoughts instantly, as he stood there flustered, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand, "Um…I'm sorry, I didn't mean to." Renji apologized, as he bent over to pick up her towel that had flung to the ground, he frowned when he noticed the once pristine, pure white towel was now blotched with dirt. Renji chuckled awkwardly, but composed himself when he noticed the anger rising in his small raven-haired friend, "Here," he said, extending his arm out, offering his own clean towel, "Take mine." He concluded in a soft voice, smiling slightly as she tentatively grasped the towel, her large azure eyes blinking at him. Renji sighed, turning around and walking towards the nearest tree, where he proceeded to whack the towel against the sturdy bark, smacking all the dirt from its position on the white towel.

Rukia watched Renji carefully from where she was standing, and as she grasped his towel in her hand, she couldn't help but blush at how thoughtful he was being. She knew Renji was nice, of course, but he always teased her. She just expected him to laugh in her face over the filthy towel, and mock her when she became angry. But, she blushed harder, he didn't do that…instead he apologized, which he rarely does, and he spoke in that soft tone as he gently offered her his own towel in exchange. Her head turned away from him instantly when he turned around, holding the now clean towel under his arm.

She closed her eyes when she felt his body brush past her, carrying with it a cool and calming breeze. She proceeded to follow him, mimicking the way he neatly folded his towel on top of a large, smooth rock, where it would be ready for him once he had his fill of swimming. Rukia's eyes took in the way the moon, somehow finding an opening between the slanted tree tops, had cast its bright reflection on the surface of the water. The stream was so peaceful and calm, the sound of running water filled her ears, causing her to sigh in content.

"Well…are ya just gonna stand there or are ya gonna swim?" Renji questioned, his teasing tone returned, and somehow put Rukia at ease. She forced herself to sneer at him, and watched as he, with his back turned to her, slid open his plain brown kimono, revealing the expanse of his muscular back, the muscles there dancing under his beautifully tanned skin. She bit her lip, as she began to untie her own kimono, sliding it off her shoulders, leaving her there in that small, pure black bikini she always wore.

Rukia, walked up to Renji, who was now standing in only his black swimming trunks, with red lightning patterns down the sides, and placed her outfit neatly next to his, on the very same rock that held their towels. Renji suddenly sprinted, jutting Rukia from her thoughts as she followed right behind him, racing with him to the water's edge, which was actually only a couple of feet away. Both friends jumped, side by side into the crystal clear water, immersing their bodies into the shallow beginning of the stream, water splashed, thrusting itself towards the moon, begging for the distance to close between them.

Both emerged their heads from the water, giggling and splashing around, as they dipped back underwater, basking in the feel of the liquid caressing and covering every expanse of skin. Together, they swam in large, confidant strokes towards the middle of the stream where the water deepened, to about 15 feet, surprisingly deep for a running-water stream. In the middle of the stream Renji and Rukia flailed their arms around them, keeping their heads above water, as they swam around, splashing and teasing one another. Rukia couldn't help but notice how differently this was from all the other times, not that it was different simply because it was just them two, but different because of how she felt. She had never felt so calm, the swimming became something intimate between the two of them, it was just them, completely vulnerable to one another, occupying one another's' complete attention. They talked about things they'd never talked about before, hitting on sensitive subjects like the soul society and how they felt about soul reapers.

"Well, you do know its more than yielding around cool swords, Renji…" Rukia responded to his shallow observation, "It's about sacrificing yourself for the sake of others. It's about justice and wrong or right."

"Yeah, I know…" Renji admitted, in all seriousness, before adding in, "Plus, like I said…beast swords and you're allowed to kick asses in the process." Renji laughed, changing the mood from solemn to goofy with one remark, making Rukia laugh as well. "True, you've got a point there." Rukia admitted in a small smirk as she waded calmly in the water, sighing in pleasure.

Renji chose to dive under the water, looking out through blurry, water ridden eyes, taking in the serene feelings he was experiencing. As he looked up from his place on the bottom, he smirked deviously, swimming towards Rukia's lithe form. Chuckling under water, Renji reached out, easily enveloping her small ankle with his large hand, and tugged her down into the water, roughly. Rukia's arms flailed desperately, splashing harshly against the surface as her body was pulled abruptly under water, making her sputter as the water rushed up her nose. Renji resurfaced, and couldn't contain his laughter, the face she made was priceless, and just thinking about how she looked just then made him laugh harder.

Rukia's head plowed out of the water, she gasped for air and coughed violently, which made Renji actually feel guilty. Rukia glared daggers at him, and flinching under her gaze, Renji opened his mouth to apologize, only to let out a loud yelp as Rukia's foot launched itself against his groin, hard. Wincing and doubling over in extreme pain, Renji grabbed his groin as Rukia continued to yell at him, "Well, don't instigate if you're not prepared to get what you dish out, dumbass!"

All Renji could do was clutch his groin harder as he throbbed in pain, feeling like that kick was hard enough to bruise him. "Fuck, Rukia…" he cried, wincing more and squeezing his eyes shut, "You have no idea how much this fuckin' hurts. Ya can't kick a guy there." he scolded, feeling more than slightly angry, like she totally over reacted.

"Well, geez you big baby. Suck it up!" Rukia yelled over her shoulder, as she swam towards the shore hastily, after feeling herself start to shiver from the cold. But Renji, was not about that, he lunged forward, grabbing her ankle again and pulled her forcibly towards his body. Rukia yelped at the sudden action, as her light body was jerked backwards roughly, her arms still grasping at the water ahead of her.

"No you don't. We are so not even, Rukia." Renji complained, making Rukia kick against his grip. But he just gripped her harder, almost brutally, making her whine.

"Ow, stop it Renji, you're hurting me." She admitted, reaching down to push his hand away.

"Ow, stop it Renji, you're hurting me." He mocked her, using a high pitched voice he reserved for when he impersonated her.

When he felt her nails did into his hand, he winced; grabbing her wrist he lightened his grip on her ankle and turned her in the blink of an eye, to face him. Once again his hand tightened around her ankle, tugging it up some, forcing her backwards into the water, she flailed her arms around wildly and screamed at him.

"Renji! Stop!" She screamed, trying to launch herself away from him with her other foot planted firmly on his hip. When Renji sensed her foot on him, he reached forward with a wicked grin, and still gripping her ankle, his free hand attacked her sides, gripping and tickling her relentlessly. Rukia wailed, as she burst into a fit of laughter, she tried to form words, but all that came out was yelps and giggles. Damn, him…he knows she's ticklish, and he's using it against her. Renji smirked and laughed as she squirmed under his attacks, watching as she tried with all her might to free herself, but couldn't.

"OKAY, OKAY…I'm-sor—rrr-yyy!" she cried, apologizing through her laughs. Renji never asked her to apologize, but she sensed that an apology was what he way vying for, because she could read him like a book. Renji released her from his grasp, feeling utterly powerful…he, Renji, made the stubborn Rukia succumb to his silent wishes. "Well, that was all you had to say." Renji smiled, grabbing under her elbows and lifted her slightly, pushing her away from himself. He couldn't help his gaze as it fell towards her barely covered breasts, taking in the way her ivory skin shimmered in the moonlight, watching droplets of water slide down her cleavage. Rukia, of course wasn't the most well endowed, but she did have amazing curves, renji, of course couldn't help but stare at her gorgeous form as she giggled, splashing water in his face. He shielded himself form the rising wave of water, but to not avail. After the torture continued, renji growled and lunged towards her, wrapping his hands around her frail, powder white wrists, to cease her movements.

Renji tensed, staring into Rukia's deep purple irises, feeling like he was swimming in them instead of in the water below him. Rukia stopped struggling against his grasp, her eyes taking in the emotion behind his eyes, and she felt the wind whoosh out of her lungs when he smirked seductively at her. Pulling her slowly closer to him, Renji leaned in, causing Rukia to bit her lip, and then….SPLASH. Rukia felt Renji spit a heap of water in her face, water he had been secretively storing in his mouth, and she had no idea.

Rukia looked at him through the drops on her long, dark lashes….she expected him to laugh, but his face told her he was just being innocent and playful, to which she smiled genuinely back at him. Renji chuckled, never breaking his heated gaze from her own, as he released one of her wrists, and gently caressed the chunky drops from her face, making Rukia close her eyes briefly at the tender motion. Renji's smile disappeared when her eyes flickered opened, her big eyes searching his face intensely, he breathed out shakily when she inter twined her small fingers within his own, pulling his hand from it's position on her face.

Her other hand mimicked that brave one, reaching out to hold his neglected hand, so that both her hands were holding his own. Never breaking eye contact with him, Rukia pulled their hands up and out on opposite sides, keeping her fingers laced with his own as she reached them back to rest them on her lower back. Separating her fingers from his own, she reached her small hands up, to gently cup his face, watching his eyes darken. Working on her new found confidence, Rukia slowly leaned in, closing her eyes as she narrowed the distance between them.

Renji's eyes drifted shut, as he felt Rukia's soft lips press lightly against his own, to which he responded, pushing back against her lips, driving her backwards. Rukia whimpered against his lips as the kiss turned from a simple chaste meeting of lips, to a desperate clash. Their lips moved against each other, as Renji slid his arms around her hips and lifted her, to even their heights, moaning as her skin pressed heatedly against his own, and her arms wrapped around his neck.

Loud cheers exploded, making them both jump in fright, breaking the kiss. Their heads snapped over to a large bush, where, out jumped Kouta, Ikichi and Yuki, they were all cheering, hollering and clapping loudly, puzzling the water soaked couple. Renji blushed, lowering Rukia to her feet, watching as she covered her red face with both her hands, she was utterly embarrassed, so was he.

"HOLY SHIT! Finally you two came to your senses! Congrats!" Yuki cheered, holding his stomach as he laughed uncontrollably. The two boys around him joined in with the cheering, as they smirked at Renji and Rukia, laughing at their bright red faces.

Renji and Rukia were in utter shock, wondering in embarrassment if they were watching from the bushes the whole time. As the cheering subsided, the three boys left, running away as fast as they could after Renji threatened their lives.

"Oh my god," Renji realized, "They set us up…those bastards set us up!" he fumed, punching the surface of the water.

Rukia smiled, she knew her friends had good intentions and she knew they didn't intend to embarrass them or exploit them in anyway. Of course, right now, Renji couldn't think about anything but wringing their necks…he always had a way of letting his emotions get the best of him. But than again…she realized…that was what she loved about him the most. Rukia walked to the shore, sliding her body from the water and wrapped his towel around her. Placing it snug against her body, she noted, with a smile, that it smelled like him. His wonderful, addictive scent.

"Well," She said slowly, flashing him a seductive smile over her pale shoulder. "Are you coming to bed…or not?" she asked…picking up her clothes as she briskly walked into the woods, leaving behind a blushing and shocked Renji.

"Yeah, yeah." he said under his breath. "I'm coming…dear." he said mockingly, but couldn't help the blissful smile that grazed his face…


End file.
